"Right. So back to my original question. Why haven't developers taken a step back and tried to simplify their software by automating some repetitive tasks?" They have done that. It's called scripting. Poser has Python, which can be used very effectively to automate so many mundane things. 3dsMax has Maxscript, which automates just about anything the program is capable of doing. Maya has it's own powerful coding language as well that can fully automate almost anything. I imagine automation and "ease of use" will go well beyond this in the near future (imagine sculpting a 3D object with your hands using holographic projection, or photorealistic rendering that happens in truly real time), but right now, software is limited to the computers that run it, and the OS that runs the computers, etc. WIth more extensive features comes a more extensive, complex interface in the software. It's not an organic thing. Software IS advancing... at the pace of hardware. You may as well ask why do we still need keyboards? Why can't my computer just understand and execute everything I command it verbally? Why isn't my computer completely "hands free" and do everything in absolute REAL TIME?

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Tools :  3dsmax 2015, Daz Studio 4.6, PoserPro 2012, Blender v2.74

System: Pentium QuadCore i7, under Win 8, GeForce GTX 780 / 2GB GPU.